Avatar Li: Book 1 - Chapter 1
by avatarli
Summary: The time of Korra has gone and a new Avatar begins his journey to master all four elements and restore balance, much like Korra and Aang. But is this new Avatar up for the challenge? Can he meet the expectations that is suppose to reach? In this chapter he begins his journey!


Avatar Li awoke from his bed, disappointed in his own existence. Yesterday, he had to prove he mastered Earthbending, his native skill, and he failed. Li lived with his father in Ba Sing Se. No one knows that Li is the avatar besides his father and the White Lotus. Li had heard stories about Avatar Korra and Avatar Aang and how each of them restored balance to the world, and felt as if he was a disgrace to be carrying the Avatar tradition. "Dad why can't I master Earthbending? I've been Earthbending since I was 12" "I wish I could help you Li." Li's father was not an Earthbender, his mother was, but sadly, she had died trying to protect the family when Li was 10.

"It's not your fault Dad." Li sat down at the table and put his head in his arms.

"You're going to be a great Avatar. Better than Aang and Korra. I can feel it."

"Sorry Dad, I don't think I am."

"You have to believe in yourself." Li just brushed what his father said away and went outside to practice his Earthbending. Li went outside and felt the warm sun on his face. The warmth of the sun reminded him of before he was known as the Avatar and had all of these different expectations to follow. It was a simpler time. Li sat on the ground and tried to feel the Earth beneath him, but he couldn't. "Why isn't this working?!" Then all of the sudden, fire came out of the sky and just about hit Li. Li lifted a defensive rock and ran inside to get his Dad. "Dad! Someone just tried to attack me!" They both went outside and saw three people in masks. One wielding fire, another wielding water and the last one wielding air. "What do you guys want with my son?!"

"Give him to us and we won't hurt you."

"Li, we're going to half to fight them."

"B-but I can't"

"You can." My dad grabbed his club and tried to fend them off. "You need to Earthbend!"

Li lifted a boulder and threw it. After he did this, they ran off into the broad daylight.

"I don't want that to happen again. You hear me. When I say do something you do it! I'm gonna contact the White Lotus." Li sat there outside, still in shock about what happened. This was the first time Li would earthbend and attack someone. The White Lotus member came immediately.

"Li are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, except for the fact that I was too scared to Earthbend." The White Lotus member stood there, shocked.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Maybe it's time for you to go out on your own now."

"Are you kidding me?! I can barely defend myself and now you want me to leave?"

"Yes, Korra did it and now it is your turn."  
"I don't think you guys get that I am not Korra, I am Li."

"You're still the Avatar, just think about it."

Li's dad appeared from out the curtain leading into their house. "He's going to go."

"Dad!" Li stormed off and went inside. The fifteen year old felt as if his father was kicking him out to go die. Li's dad came up to his room, with his favorite meal. "No, you're not going to convince me with this."

"I'm not here to convince you. I'm here to give you that confidence boost that will make you convince yourself that you need to leave here, otherwise you will not grow. Y'know, your mom felt something special about you, even before you were born. She thought you were going to be like me, a non bender. But then one day, you were playing outside and you lifted a pebble. When you brought it to me." Tears began to fill in his eyes. "All I could do is cry. It reminded me so much of your Mom. Then the White Lotus came and proved that you were the Avatar. I was so proud, my son is going to be the one to restore balance to the world. Your mother would be proud to. In my dreams she tells me how happy she is because you're the one to restore balance." Li turned his head to hide his tears from his Dad. "She would be so proud if she was here, trust me." Li turned his to look back at his father after drying his tears. "You think this is the best for me?"

"Yes, I do son." Li hugged his father and his father hugged back. "C'mon, the White Lotus member is still out there."

Li and his Dad walked out of his room and into the common space. "Okay Li, you're going to head off on your own?"

Li nodded.

"I think since you want to master Earthbending first, you should probably stay somewhere within the Earth Kingdom, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Then it's up to you where you go after mastering Earthbending."

"Okay."

"So then you'll be gone first thing in the morning tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Should I cut his hair so those punks won't recognize him?"

"Yes, that would be best."

Li's long hair would soon be gone. Li's dad turned Li around and gave him a quick snip, snip snip, and Li's long hair was gone. His hair was past his shoulders and down his back, now it was just at his shoulders.

"I'm going to sleep." Li headed into his room as his dad and the White Lotus member were left talking.

Li awoke early that morning. The sun was not up yet, and he was packing. Once he was finished, he wrote his father a note and took his father's club and left. Li's own thoughts trouble his mind, the thought of his father finding his body somewhere, or where he was going to find his next meal when his food ran out. As Li kept walking he kept seeing these posters for a big Earthbending fight in the Stadium. He was thinking maybe he could find and Earthbending master. It was later in the night. Li decided to go to a remote area to practice his Earthbending and wait for the Earthbending fight. For once, Li finally felt the Earth moving below his feet. He could pick up vibrations and sense things that I couldn't before.

"Maybe, this is sign that I have mastered it."

Li lifted a boulder, it moved along with Li's hands. hE tried to punch the ground to make the Earth rumble below but it did not work. Li had not mastered Earthbending.

After Li's long hours of practice he fell asleep, by accident of course, but once he woke up, he was late for the Earthbending fight. He got up, almost instantly and ran toward the Earth Kingdom Stadium.

He had to sneak inside, Li did not have any money to his name. Once he was in, he sat down next to woman who was way too into the fight.

"In this corner, we have THE CRUSHER! and in the other side we have the challenger, Bao! LET'S GET STARTED." Li was amazed, the weird thing was, that Bao looked the same age as Li. The Crusher was bending rocks after boulders, after metal at Bao. Bao was just dodging and was not actually Earthbending. "C'MON CRUSHER, FINISH HIM ALREADY." The lady next to Li was screaming at the top of her lungs. "We're done here Bao." The Crusher lifted the ground that Bao was on to the highest point in the Stadium and then dropped him. Li couldn't look. The Crusher stopped right before Bao died. They kicked Bao out of the middle of the arena and casted him outside. Li wanted to speak to Bao and possibly ask him to be his Earthbending teacher. Li ran outside to catch Bao before Bao was gone.

"Mr. Bao!" Li yelled as he ran up to Bao.

"Who is that?!"

"My name is Li, and I am the Avatar." Bao looked at Li and began laughing, crying, possibly even fell on to the floor.

"I'm being serious."

"Can you prove to me that you're the Avatar?!" Bao said laughing a little.

"I can't but if you teach me Earthbending I can."

"Teach you Earthbending? Psh, I can't even Earthbend buddy,"

"Wait, then why were you in the ring at an Earthbending fight?"

"The money, even if I lose I still get a lot of cash."

"Well, can you point me in the right direction of an Earthbending master?"

"Go to Zafou. There you can learn Earthbending and Metalbending."

"Alright. Thanks Bao."

"Tell them, Bao sent you."

It was late, Li went to the remote area in which he practiced Earthbending earlier and slept. He was determined to make it to Zafou the next day. When he woke up, he got up and went to the nearest train station.

"Hi, which train can take me to Zafou?"

"The 192"

"Thanks."

Li had to sneak onto the train and stay hidden. There he saw a familiar figure, he could not pinpoint where he had seen the back of this person's head before. Li stood up from the corner of the car and tapped on the person.

"Hello, you look familiar-"

The person turned around, and it was Bao.

"Hey, it's you again."

"Why are you going to Zafou?"

"I have family there."

"Wait, are you a bender?"

"I'm a fire bender, but not a very good one."

Those three guys in masks who were at Li's house showed up again. "Where is the Avatar?"

The people on the train looked puzzled. "We know he's in here. Give him up."

Li sank down in his seat. Bao looked at Li and Li looked terrified. The fire bender of the group drew up a flame in his hand and threw it. The car lit on fire. "Since you guys don't want to give him up, you all can die."

"We have to do something!" Bao looked at Li and said.

Li shook his head. Bao leaned over the table and said to Li, "Look, innocent people are going to die if you don't get together. You're the Avatar."

"I can't do it."

"Yes, you can. You have to!"

Li was reminded of what his father told him about everyone except for himself having faith in him. Li stood up just as the three people in masks were leaving. "I'm the Avatar."

"Good." The fire bender said.

"Bao you take out the fire somehow and I'll take care of these goons."

Li rumbled the ground to make them fall. Then he jutted out Earth and pushed them out.

"Why was it that simple?"

"Li! Help me with the fire!"

"Oh yeah."

Li placed small rocks on the fire then it began to die out. When Li and Bao were finished, the people in the car clapped and were happy the Avatar was back. The car attendant let Li ride for free and realized that he was a fugitive.

"What's with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you go after them as soon as you saw them?"

"Bao, I'm scared of failure. I don't think I would've survived back there if it weren't for you giving me that much needed confidence boost."

"You can't be scared man. You're the Avatar. In your life, you're going to have to take on powerful enemies that you can't be scared of."

"I guess. But I think once I master Earthbending that will go away."

"It better."

They had finally made it Zafou and awaiting Bao was his family.

"Bao!" His uncle and cousins hugged him.

"Whose this?"

"This is Li! He's the new Avatar,"

"Korra!" His uncle hugged Li.

"Sorry but I'm not Korra. I'm Li."

"But I know, down there Korra is still in you."

Then all the sudden, Li's eyes turned white much like a light,

"Bolin! It's me Korra! I miss you guys so much!" And like that, Li was back. "You're Bolin!"

"Yes, I am." He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"You can Lava Bend!"

"Yes I can."

Li bowed, "Mr. Bolin, do you think you can enhance my Earthbending skills as well as teach me, Metal and Lavabending."

"Yes I can! Except for Metal."

"That's fine!"

"When can you start?"

"How about tomorrow?!"

"Yes Li! That sounds fine."

Li finally has an Earthbending master. Bao looked at Bolin and Li.

"Did you hear from my father?"

"No, Bao. I'm sorry."

Li, Bao, Bolin and Bolin's children walked up to the palace.

"Su Lin put me in charge of the palace if she were to die."

"Sorry, Bolin but this name just keeps coming to my head; Opal."

"Opal is on a mission with some of the fellow Airbenders." Li looked at Bolin's children. "Whose are these?"

Bolin laughed, "That's the Korra in you. These are my children. Ken, Heu, and Korra. They Ken and Korra can earthbend and Heu has yet to find out what he can bend." Bolin guided Li to his guest room and Bao to his room. Li put his stuff down and then all the sudden had a vision. He was Korra and there was someone in a mask there. He bent Korra back and put his thumb on her head and stole her bending. Li came back, terrified. Li laid down to try and calm his nerves. Li ended up falling asleep. A little later, Bao opened the door and yelled, "Li! It's time for dinner!"

A rock had hit the door. "I'm awake!"

"Wow, Li. Don't kill me."

Li got up and followed Bao to the eating area. As they were eating, Li brought up his vision. "I had a vision from one of my past lives. It was of Korra's this guy in a mask was "cleansing" people and took Korra's bending away."

Bolin looked up at Li. "That was Amon. He believed that the reason why the world was so horrible was because of the benders and to him the Avatar was the most of the reason. He took away Korra's bending."

"How, if she was the Avatar?"

"Avatar Aang restored her bending after."

"Bao and I were attacked on the train ride here and he masks looked similar. There was a firebender, a waterbender and an Airbender."

"Well, you're safe here. We're the safest city in the Earth Kingdom."

Bao nodded.

"Wait, Bolin, I read somewhere that you had a brother...Mako. Where's Mako?"

Everything got quiet. "We do not know where he went. Mako is Bao's father."

After dinner Bolin brought Li outside to see what he could do with his Earthbending.

"I'm not that good."

"That's alright, we're here to practice."

Li lifted a boulder and crashed it into others, then he juttered the Earth out and manipulated the Earth. Then suddenly, Bolin opened the Earth and made Li fall into a hole. Bolin imprisoned Li in an Earth prison.

"You have a lot to learn."

Li laughed. "Okay. Master Bolin."

Bolin put the ground back. "Go get some sleep."

Li had went to his room and finally drifted off into his sleep.

The three with the masks were coming to Zafou and coming for Li. Once they had made it to the entrance of the palace, the firebender melted the palace door down and then they charged into the palace.

"Scan the palace and look for this kid, be quiet. I don't want them to wake up."

The other two people in masks nodded. They roamed about the palace until the Airbender found Li.

"Are you sure this is him, his hair looks different?"

"Of course this is him."

They tried to grab Li but then Bao appeared and threw fire at them.

"Li wake up!" Li woke up and was astonished to see so many people in his room.

"Uncle Bolin!" Bao yelled. Bolin came charging in. The water bender froze Bolin and Bao were they stood. It was up to Li to ensure his own safety. The Airbender lifted Li from his bed but Li was not going to go that easily. Li realized that he had to fight for his own survival. He lifted a column and threw it into the air bender to drop him. Then Li manipulated the ground below the water bender to make him fall. Then he imprisoned the water bender in the ground by her feet. Last was the fire bender.

"What do you want with me?"

"All we want is peace."

The firebender threw fire at Li and Li dodged it while the Firebender grabbed the water bender. The firebender kept throwing flames at Li. Bolin and Bao thawed out because of the intense heat. Li kept dodging them and then eventually, all three of them were gone.

"What do they want with me?"

"I think I know." Bolin said.

End of Chapter 1


End file.
